In Britain, we’ve been conditioned by generation after generation of brilliant Porsche 911s to see the German masterpiece as a benchmark for all things fast.

A benchmark… and, you might be forgiven for assuming, an unbeatable one.

So when Ford says the Shelby GT350R version of its new Mustang can whip the 911 on track, it’s time to raise an eyebrow. Not just any old 911, either. If the blue oval is to be believed, what we have here is the nemesis of the 911 GT3.

Crikey. With 526bhp from a 5.2-litre V8 that revs to 8250rpm while sounding like an approaching tornado on the Kansas plains, you can see where its speed comes from.

But this thing is more than a quarter of a tonne heavier than a GT3. The less extreme GT350 model (less track focused, much better suited to UK roads and therefore the one most likely to appear in RHD form), is heavier still.

One prod of the loud pedal, though, and you’ll forget that. It’s impressively fast as you change up through the gears – but staggeringly so if you hold on to them. Beyond about 6000rpm, the V8 wakes up like a brooding volcano blowing its top, all sound, fury and earth tremors.

Is it a handful? Well, no way is it as svelte as the 911; in comparison, the Porsche feels almost dainty. But you’ve got big brakes, vast tyres and adaptive shocks on your side – and a car that commands you to use them without once asking for mercy.

What’s great about the 911 is that everything seems to have been perfected to the nth degree: what’s great about the Shelby is that it hasn’t but you don’t care. It’s big and brutal but it’s your big, brutal best friend.

It’s not old-school enough to be without selectable drive modes, and these let you take it as close to racecar trim – and drive it as such – as you dare. Whether it’s faster, or better, than the GT3 is almost a moot point, because it’s so very different – a mad guffaw against the Porsche’s satisfied smile.

Of course, a 911 driver will also remain satisfied on the drive home, and this is where the ‘mere’ GT350 version of the Shelby Mustang becomes relevant. It has more road-biased suspension and narrower tyres that don’t pick up on every ripple or cat’s eye, and for what it’s worth it regains the standard car’s rear seats – which are absent on the R model.

It also costs less, which is no small thing on a vehicle whose bargain price is one of its most potent calling cards.

Best of all, though, it has the same engine. And it’s still an outstanding track tool – not quite as racecar fast, but as near as makes no difference in the hands of anyone but a fully fledged expert.

On the road, though, there’s all the difference in the world. And that in turn could be the difference that makes a business case for right-hand drive.